Boulders flatten 2 houses, destroy 16 others in Naga

CEBU, Philippines - At least two houses in the mountain barangay of Naalad, Naga were totally destroyed while 16 others were damaged after boulders hit them yesterday morning.

Luckily, no one was injured, says Naga Mayor Valdemar Chiong in an interview with The FREEMAN.

It was a good thing, Chiong said, that it was no longer raining yesterday. Had it rained, the victims would have gathered inside their houses and would have possibly been injured.

Chiong said heavy rains in the previous days might have loosened the soil that held the rocks, which rolled down the hill and hit the houses at 10 a.m. yesterday.

The destroyed houses, Chiong said, were made of light materials and were immediately crushed by the rocks. The other houses had minor damages, he said.

The Naga mayor added that the barangay officials immediately set up an evacuation area for the victims at the Naalad Elementary School but the victims chose to stay with their relatives.

As the houses were no longer livable, the victims will possibly ask for some reconstruction materials from the local government. (FREEMAN)